Test Subject 23552
by FruitlessFruits
Summary: A superior human race rules the world, and under their control are the sub-humans. With no rights, and no hope, they are doomed to a life of misery. All that may change, though, when Dr. Edward Cullen meets a test subject he cannot control: #23552.
1. Prologue

**Test Subject #23552**

**Prologue**

**Test Subject #23552's POV (Bella)**

Let us just take a moment to imagine something. It may be hard to comprehend, but by thinking about it we are acknowledging that it could happen; in some twisted universe, it is possible. Anything is possible.

Imagine white walls, sterile rooms, harsh bright lights, cold metal upon glass worktops, padded cells with locked doors, men in white coats, icy cold conditions, and floor upon floor of cells built to house the test subjects: the sub-humans.

This is a place where cries of agony are your welcoming and the silence of death is your farewell. It is hell on Earth with its very own Devil. There is no God here. There is no religion here. There is nothing but pain and death here.

Experiment after experiment, life after life, and yet no one comes to save us. In their eyes, we are not people, but numbers. We do not have names. We do not have feelings. We do not have lives. We are simply puppets to the puppeteer and at his hands' we shall die.

That has been my life since I was born at Cullen Corporate Laboratories.

On the outside, Cullen Co. Labs was the world's very best pharmaceutical company, producing top-notch vaccines, and drug enhancers to improve the Superior Race. On the inside, it was hell, and run by Satan. Satan had a name, and that name was Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He, and his two sons, ran the company. They worked specifically with the test subjects in the main laboratory, where I was housed. Thankfully, I have never had the pleasure of meeting them.

Dr. Carlisle is known among the test subjects to be a cruel and single-minded man. His only goal in life is to produce a superior race of human beings, which he has done. Outside these walls are people that can run so fast you cannot see them. There are people who can lift vehicles with a single hand. There are people who can do the impossible. They are the Gifted Ones, Carlisle's creations. They are the smartest, the bravest, the strongest, the fastest, the slyest, the sneakiest, and they are the worthiest of all.

Unlike the Gifted Ones, I am not worthy. There was no happy family, no love and no comfort for me. Instead, I was bred for my genes. I was brought up with needles, shock treatment, malnutrition, and experiments. I was brought up for one purpose: to help advance the Superior Race.

They do not know of what goes on, they do not ask, and they do not care. They are above us, which means we, the sub-humans, are dirt on the bottom of their shoes. They can use us like dogs for breeding, torture us to test our limits, kill us with viruses to see the affects, and destroy our hope with their callousness. That is the life of a sub-human, and there is no escape.

Death is thy only escape, and oh how I welcome it with open arms.

_Death, come to me now, free me from this imprisonment, let me breathe the fresh air outside these walls, let me walk among other free men, let me taste food again, let me play, let me laugh, let me love, and let me live. I beg of you, Death, I shall forever be at your mercy if you free me from this hell. _

But, of course, my death will not be on my terms. My death will be on theirs. It will most likely be in a cold, sterile cage, where I will be injected with the new vaccine or virus (whichever they are testing that day). They will watch as I die, slowly and painfully, jotting down in their notes all that happens. Then once death has taken me, they will cut me open and exam me through and through. I will be a number in a case study. I will forever be a number, for my name is #23552.

I am no one's daughter. I am no one's sister. I am no one's friend.

I am no one.

Standing in the testing room, hands and feet tied to leashes held by guards, my fate hung before me. Opposite, a team of seven doctors watched me carefully. Each and every one of them was judging me, examining me, and scrutinizing me. They were the Judge and Jury, and this was my execution.

"Test subject #23552 has a good set of genes in her. She survived VN5, which is promising, and according to her test results here, she is of good breeding. What shall we do with her?" The man who spoke, the man in control of the whole room, was none other than Satan's Spawn, Dr. Edward Cullen.

His reputation preceded him, and I knew that at his hands, I would suffer unthinkable pain, and my death would not be easy. But, I would die, and it would be glorious.

_Death, you are within reaching distance. Free me from these chains, and give me the life I should have had. I am yours, and I surrender to you fully. Set me free.  
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	2. Chapter 1

**Test Subject #23552**

**Chapter One**

**Dr. Edward Cullen's POV**

In 1833, one man changed the face of the world, accidentally. A British doctor, who had studied under the great Edward Jenner, came to America to start anew. He had successfully helped vaccinate people for smallpox, and was hoping to do something just as great. Unfortunately, rather than create a vaccine, he created a virus.

This virus…well, this virus changed everything. It swept across American within a month, killing 90% of the people it infected. By the third month, it was raging across Europe, Asia and Africa. By the fifth month, the world was caught in its grasp.

Those that survived had a whole new beginning ahead of them. One year after the epidemic, they showed signs of increased strength, perception, awareness, and several had special abilities. All of this was documented by the man responsible, Dr. Walter Cullen, as he believed that he had created a new species.

He liked to refer to himself as God in his journals, but my nickname for him was Doctor Death.

The corporation he made back then, Cullen Corporate Laboratories, still stood today. It is regarded as one of the best pharmaceutical companies in the world, what with our dedication and uncanny ability to cure diseases and create vaccines for the new up and coming viruses.

The public had no idea that those viruses were created by us, released by us, and cured by us. They did not know that we tested out all our drugs on live sub-humans. They did not know that we ran other experiments on them, and that we usually disposed of over two hundred thousand bodies a year.

They didn't have a clue. To them, we were an upstanding company, with only the peoples' best interests at heart; to our shareholders, we were Gods; and to me, we were everything that's wrong in the world.

Our test subjects, the unfortunate sub-humans, were no different from us. The only thing they lacked was the special ability. The Superior Human Race had developed a new section in the brain, where this ability functions from. The sub-humans do not have that section, and it's crystal clear from the day they are born.

Every newborn baby is screened for it, and when they do not possess it, they end up in our clutches. From there, they are chosen for certain breeding groups due to their genes, are tested on, and finally, when we've run out of options we give them the sweet release of death.

I guess you could say I was angry with the world, or rather, the world inside these walls. On the outside, people raised families, worked regular jobs, and lived life happily, never knowing of the evil that lurked. I wanted that, I wanted that ignorance. Instead, I was a key part of Cullen Co. Labs. They needed me.

"Dr. Cullen, your father wanted me to remind you that you have a meeting with him in fifteen minutes," my secretary informed me, handing over several of the files I would be needing for the day ahead.

"Thank you very much." I took them from her and piled them down next to the other hundred or so Test Subject files I had to review. Deciding to take a peek, I listened for her voice.

_-understand what happened to him. He used to be so lovely. Now, the man is hollow. Maybe he's having marital problems. I thought they were going to try for a baby. That would be a lovely-_

As usual, she was thinking gibberish. How she got anything ever done, I did not know.

Glancing over the notes, I sighed. This morning, I was to interview three Test Subjects. They were the only survivors of the VN5 virus strain we administered to them. Apparently, the other doctors needed to know their mental state before using them again.

Cullen Co. Labs needed me to do these interviews, and occasionally, I wondered, if I had a different ability, would I still be my father's favourite?

This 'interview' would consist of me breaking into their mind, shuffling through their thoughts and memories, taking control over their body and manipulating them into doing something they would not want to. Usually that meant signing a 'consent' form.

Despite being government backed, we did get the authorities sniffing around every once and a while. My father always dealt with the problem by showing them the 'records' we kept, and if they still pushed, he wrote them a cheque. One day, I hoped he would meet someone he couldn't pay off.

Grabbing my things, I left my office and headed towards my father's. He was already chairing the meeting when I arrived, giving me a ticked off look as I entered. Taking a seat, I surveyed the room to see who had made it on time.

Opposite me sat my younger brother, Emmett. He worked in the labs, creating the vaccines, viruses, and once in a blue moon he would work on the enhancers. Next to him sat my wife, Rosalie, who worked directly with Emmett, and the two of them made a great team. Looking at me directly, I knew she wanted to talk. Prodding into her mind was not hard at all.

_-made you late? You've known about this meeting for weeks. And have you failed to notice who is sitting at the head of the table? _

Slyly looking over, my mouth feel open a bit as I saw President Aro Brandon watching my father in rapture. Shit.

_Yeah, that's what I thought, now shut your mouth. Carlisle's going to eat your ass out._

Opening the link, I sent my thoughts through to Rose. It was one of the better aspects of my ability.

_**Well, I think we both know who will be pulling a late night this evening. He's going to have me combing over everything we do today. **_

_You deserve it. I won't wait up for you. Oh, you should also know that your father and Aro are going to be sitting in on your Test Subject interviews this morning. Enjoy that. _She smirked at me and turned back to my father. Cheeky minx.

Carlisle droned on and on for a good hour about productivity and how Cullen Co. Labs were shaping the world into a better place, and President Brandon bought all of it. Oh, he already supported out work fully, knowing exactly what we did behind the closed doors, but then again, he had a motive. President Brandon was a large shareholder. We made the man rich, why wouldn't he love us?

When it was finally drawing to an end and escape was in sight, Emmett brought up the new enhancer which needed to be trialled. Seeing as this had nothing to do with me, I made to leave, only to have Carlisle push a thought into my head; _sit your ass back down or I swear I will have you working back-to-back shifts for a month. _

Getting the message, I sat back down. But, that didn't mean I had to listen. Instead, I took out my notes and began reading over the history of the three Test Subjects I would be meeting. They all seemed to be in reasonable health, there was no evidence of any lasting side effects from the VN5 virus, and their recent aptitude tests were promising.

I did not foresee any problem with them, and was sure I could easily have the whole thing done within the hour. That would then give me time to go back and finish off writing up the notes of the other two hundred or so Test Subjects I saw last week.

Every week I had to go through a selection of Test Subjects to try and find any lapses in security, any hidden weapons, or plots to break out. You would be surprised by how many of them had never even considered trying to leave. It is as if they knew we would track them down if they ever did get outside the walls; and we would track them down.

A more common trait within the Superior Race community was the ability to track and hunt. Heightened senses allowed some them to trace scents over three weeks old. It was a special art, and a high profile job. If only I had those abilities. Instead, I was perfect for company, industrial and national espionage.

"Edward, do you think you can handle that?" I was brought back to the conversation suddenly, and I had no clue what my father was asking of me.

_He wants you to find candidates for the new enhancer. Just say yes. _

"Yes, I can do that," I answered, sending my wife a thankful nod afterwards. She smirked back at me and rolled her eyes. Emmett caught the exchange and grinned, shaking his head while doing so. He always did think I abused my abilities and 'cheated'.

"That's great. Well, with everything wrapped up here, why don't we all get back to work. Edward, Aro and I shall meet you there." With that, the room was dismissed.

I shuffled up my files and grabbed my things, making my exit. Rose gave me a warm smile before heading up to the labs, while I headed down to what was known as the dungeons. Despite the building being stylishly modern, it's cold and impersonal touch made it feel more and more like the prison it was designed to be.

My team of doctors were already seated when I entered the examination room. The room had no windows, but the lights made up for that fact. They were bright, too bright, and made many of the Test Subjects shy away. I guess in the cells, lights were not a priority.

The examination room itself was not a friendly looking place. The walls were white, the floor was white, the ceiling was white. The place was completely sterile, and it smelt that way, too. There was nothing inviting, nothing friendly, not even the faces of those seated.

As I was chairing the 'interview', I made my way round and spoke to all the doctors, ensuring that we were all on the same page. The last thing I needed was two doctors bickering over a Test Subject because they both wanted it in their trials. No, we all needed to be in agreement. The three Test Subjects we would be seeing were either going to go on and test the new enhancer or the new virus. Seeing as they were the only survivors of the VN5 virus, testing the vaccine on them would be pointless.

After taking a seat and getting my notes in order, I called for the first Test Subject to be brought in. By this point, I knew Carlisle and President Aro would be watching behind the glass. Pressure was on.

"Okay Ladies and Gentlemen, here we go," I said, watching as the guards opened the door.

In they dragged the Test Subject, who was tugging against her restraints. They were tied to her ankles and her wrists, to ensure she couldn't escape. The two guards got her into position in the room, securing her tightly, and nodded.

She was clean, as they all were, but her hair was wild. It hung in knots and curls round her face, blocking most of it from view. Her eyes though, you could still see her eyes. They were piercing, which was nothing new. All Test Subjects plotted our death. After all, we were the enemy.

"Test subject #23552 has a good set of genes in her. She survived VN5, which is promising, and according to her test results here, she is of good breeding. What shall we do with her?" I asked the room.

"Would the enhancer work on this one? The aptitude tests suggest she is of average brain function, but as you know, Dr. Cullen, we have seen Test Subjects flunk the tests for their own amusement," Dr. Shepherd replied.

He looked at me in question, wanting me to break into the Test Subject's mind and find out. Without giving it a second thought, I searched for her voice. The voices were easy to distinguish between. All my doctors were thinking of ways they could use her, the guards were thinking about keeping her under control if she was to break for it, but yet I could not find her.

She had no voice.

I was not too worried that I couldn't find it. Occasionally, the Test Subjects were too far gone and had lost their minds, leaving them incapable of having a voice. But, that did not stop me from accessing their memories. Making eye contact with her, I attempted to push into her mind, and was abruptly met with a brick wall.

Her mind was like a fortress, and I couldn't get in. No matter where I tried to break in, I was met with the same wall, stopping me dead in my tracks.

"Dr. Cullen, your prognosis?" Dr. Shepherd asked, looking at me hopefully.

"I…I can't." Sighing, I tried again. The wall was not budging, I couldn't hear her thoughts, read her memories, access her feelings, or control her body. She was impenetrable. "Excuse me a moment," I said, standing up.

I exited the room swiftly, almost slamming the door behind me, and was quickly met with my father. He was frowning and very confused, or so his thoughts were telling me.

"What was that? Is something wrong? Have you seen something?" he asked, frantically. Lapses in security were a very big deal, no wonder he cared so much.

"No, I haven't seen anything, that's what's wrong. Her mind is like Fort Knox. I can't get in." Carlisle's face fell and the gravity of the situation hit him hard.

If we couldn't see inside her mind, if there was actually a force stopping us, then there was something to hide. Test Subject #23552 could very easily have worked out a way to exit this building, to release the other sub-humans, to bypass security, and to form an uprising. I could not let that happen, and either could Carlisle.

"Alright, we will not worry. This has never happened before but I'm sure we can break her down. Start with shock therapy, if that doesn't work try water submersion, physical pain, and every psychological method possible. I want inside her mind, Edward. I need to know what she's thinking. I will also call a few of the other doctors to see if their powers have any effect. As for now, dismiss the team, but keep the Test Subject there. Let's try and keep this from getting out." I nodded in understanding and headed back in.

"I do apologise for my absence there. I'm afraid we will have to reschedule this. I am needed elsewhere."

The doctors all looked from one another and then back to me before finally getting the message and packing up. I heard a small inkling that a few of them suspected something was up but they didn't dare say it aloud.

When the guards went to return Test Subject #23552 to her cell, I informed them of the change of plans. Instead, they attached the restraints to the hooks in the wall and left; which left me alone with her.

Test Subject #23552 had a gleam in her eye as she glanced around the room. It was as if she knew something I didn't. Never once had I felt vulnerable in my job, but right then, I did. She could have had the upper hand for all I knew. She could have easily been able to break the restraints and get to me. It was very nerve-wracking.

With the sound of my heart racing in my ears, I almost missed it. The noise was so small and light that it could easily have been mistaken for a breeze. Yet, I heard it loud and clear.

"Thank you."

It was a whisper, so quiet and so soft it sent chills up my spine. Test Subject #23552 was thanking me, and I had no idea why. Fear, all I could feel was fear.

Who was this tied up before me, and what was she capable of?


	3. Chapter 2

**Test Subject #23552**

**Chapter Two**

**Test Subject #23552's POV (Bella)**

_Standing in the testing room, hands and feet tied to leashes held by guards, my fate hung before me. Opposite, a team of seven doctors watched me carefully. Each and every one of them was judging me, examining me, and scrutinizing me. They were the Judge and Jury, and this was my execution._

_"Test subject #23552 has a good set of genes in her. She survived VN5, which is promising, and according to her test results here, she is of good breeding. What shall we do with her?" The man who spoke, the man in control of the whole room, was none other than Satan's Spawn, Dr. Edward Cullen._

_His reputation preceded him, and I knew that at his hands, I would suffer unthinkable pain, and my death would not be easy. But, I would die, and it would be glorious._

_Death, you are within reaching distance. Free me from these chains, and give me the life I should have had. I am yours, and I surrender to you fully. Set me free._

Those in the room started to discuss my possible future and I didn't have to wait long before Dr. Cullen turned his powers onto me. I thought it would hurt a lot more, but I actually didn't feel a thing. The other Test Subjects spoke of unimaginable pain when he broke into their mind, so what was different?

I wasn't seeing memories flash before my very eyes, and I wasn't feeling my emotions change with each thought he read. I just wasn't feeling anything. It made no sense. Had they drugged me this morning so I wouldn't feel it? Was this a test? Was I meant to react badly?

Watching Dr. Cullen carefully, I saw his expressions change drastically. He went from casually looking at me to glaring at me. It looked as though I had just ticked off the great doctor, without even knowing how. It didn't matter though; if he hated me then death was surely imminent.

_Finally. _

Barking words at his fellow doctors, Dr. Cullen stormed from the room. I had never heard of this happening before. Granted, our methods of receiving information was poor, but surely this type of behaviour would have made the rounds.

Given the amount of time we spent in our cells, it shouldn't have been surprising that we had ways of communicating. The Test Subjects had devised a way to pass notes and letters through the ventilation system, and if you were lucky, due to the pluming, you could talk through the pipes to others.

The guards, of course, were constantly on the lookout for it. They knew of both methods, thanks to the one and only Dr. Edward Cullen. His ability, his power, stole our secrets and pillaged our thoughts. Yet, I hadn't felt him do any of that to me.

His absence was a little worrying. If he excused himself, walked away from me, then I would no doubt have to endure more tests. If he came back, and if that glare was anything to go by, then I would ultimately die. Freedom would be mine.

When Dr. Cullen returned, I stood with bated breath. I needed him to take on my case. I needed him to end my life, whether it be now or later. I needed to be free.

"I do apologise for my absence there. I'm afraid we will have to reschedule this. I am needed elsewhere," he said, talking to his team of doctors.

Inside, I crumbled, but to them, I didn't move a muscle. How long was I going to have to sit in my cell before they did this again? How long would it be before they finally let me go? How much more did I have to suffer?

The doctors gathered up their belongings and quickly exited the room, but Dr. Cullen stayed. He stood with his arms crossed, standing tall with his chin in the air, and intently watching me. When the guards made to take me away, he told them not to.

"You can leave #23552 here, thank you very much. I will make sure she's taken back to her cell. If you could restrain her to the wall, that would be great."

The men did as they were told, attaching my restraints to the hooks in the wall, before leaving. Then, it was just the two of us. What he wanted with me, I wasn't sure, but I had a small suspicion that this was it; this was going to lead me to freedom.

_Do your worst Doctor Cullen, I'm ready to meet my death._

Glancing round the room, I saw that all the usual testing items had been removed. Normally, the place had drugs at the ready to be administered, tougher restraints were in place, and the electric pokers were on standby for when we got out of line. But, instead, the room was bare.

What was he going to kill me with, his bare hands? If that was the case, I had hit the jackpot. Just being able to feel another person's skin against my own would be surreal, even if it was Dr. Cullen's. Touching, contact, comfort, was foreign to us Test Subjects. We didn't get to fraternise with each other, therefore skin on skin contact was rare. The doctors wore gloves, the guards wore gloves, and the only skin we felt was our own. But, if Dr. Cullen was going to kill me himself, without wearing gloves, I would finally know what it felt like.

I took a quick look at Dr. Cullen's hands and noticed he wasn't wearing gloves. There were none in the room either. So if he was to touch me, I would finally know the feeling.

"Thank you," I whispered, looking straight at him.

It was as if Death had sent him to be my own personal angel. He was going to free me, I just knew it!

Dr. Cullen must have heard me as his nostrils flared and he backed up towards the wall. It was most unusual, most unusual indeed. It was almost as if he was scared of me, which wasn't possible. Then again, maybe he had read my thoughts and was just simply appalled at the idea of touching me.

Doctors' touching Test Subjects was most inappropriate, but it was known to happen.

The door to the examination room opened and in walked some of the worst doctors on staff. _No, no, no! Not them! Not them! Please Death, let me die another way. _

"Jane, Alec, Felix, Eleazar, Chelsea, Jasper, Kate…bloody hell, what is this, a staff meeting? What are you all doing here?"

"Carlisle told us you were having some trouble," one of them purred, their eyes roaming over me. "This her? Gosh, Edward, she looks practically dead. What's the problem?"

"Well, Jane, why don't you unleash your power on her and see what happens, hmm?" Dr. Cullen replied, pointing at me.

He had trouble with me, how? I didn't resist him, I didn't fight him, I didn't even make a sound. What was the problem with me?

The doctors lined up against the back wall, their eyes all focused on me, and waited. The table was in between us, and I couldn't understand why they didn't take a seat. What was going on? Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. This no longer felt like my sweet escape from hell. Instead, it felt like I was about to experience the worse pain of my life.

Fear seeped out of every pore as I stood before them. My eyes were wide and my stance changed into a more defensive one. I was seriously outnumbered, and while I wasn't going to attack any of them, I didn't want to give the impression I was meek.

"Ooh, looks like we have a challenge on our hands," the tall, blond doctor with an accent said, grinning at me. "I can't wait."

"Hmph, well, if that is how she wants to play, let's play." Jane glared at me, but that was it.

The other doctors in the room laughed, minus Dr. Cullen, and ribbed Jane. They asked her if there was an issue, to which she told them to get lost. Glaring at me again, I felt nothing. The whole situation was very odd.

It seemed like my defensive posture was premature, they were just glaring at me. Dirty looks I could handle, for sure.

"It doesn't work, Jane, does it?" Dr. Cullen asked, coming off a little smug.

"She must be doing something, I can't hurt her. This has never happened!" Jane waved her arms around as she spoke and then sulked to the corner. Behind my curtain of hair, I smirked. It felt rather good to piss off these people. For once, they weren't in control; it seemed as if I was.

"Oh this is priceless," the blond said, shaking his head and smiling. "She's laughing at you, Jane, and she's very pleased with herself."

"You can feel her emotions, Jasper?" Dr. Cullen asked, looking at the man quickly.

"Hell yeah, I can feel everything," Jasper replied. Upon hearing that, I scowled. Apparently I didn't have complete control of the situation. Laughing again, he pointed at me. "I like this one, she's good fun."

"Can you change her emotions? Make her cry, laugh, sleep, what? Do something," Edward said, crossing and uncrossing his arms.

Suddenly I felt a wave of calm wash over me. It was mind blowing. I felt safe, which I had never felt, and I felt at peace. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought I was dead. With such calming feelings, my defensive stance broke and I laid back against the wall, a content smile gracing my lips.

"My power definitely works on her. She's at peace."

"Peace, you put her at peace? You should be making her hurt!" Jane barked, shaking her head.

"Jane, it's my power, I will do what I want with it. If your power had worked, she would be in pain. It doesn't, so I'll use mine and put her at peace."

Jasper was looking more and more like a sheep among wolves. He had the ability to hurt me, but he wasn't. I had never heard of that happening. It was so rare. Hoping he would pick it up, I sent out feelings of gratitude.

"You're welcome, #23552."

The other doctors frowned at him as he spoke to me, but Jasper didn't seem to care. If I could die at anyone's hand, it would be his. He didn't want to hurt me, that was rare. He didn't look as though he wanted to kill me, so he would be the perfect choice, if I could pick. That way, I would know he didn't get enjoyment out of my sad existence.

"Eleazar, are you picking anything up? Does she have a power that we are unaware of? Her scans don't show anything, but we could be wrong," Dr. Cullen said, frowning.

"Oh she has something alright. It's like a brick wall protecting her." He chuckled to himself while shaking his head. "I've never encountered this before. I mean, I've met similar things, but nothing like this."

"So she's purposely doing it?" Dr. Cullen asked, shooting me a dirty look.

"I don't think so." Eleazar gave me a bemused look and chortled. "This is unreal, she has no clue she's doing it but it has total control. We're screwed," he declared, waving his hands up in defeat. "You all better give up now cause nothing is going to work. Mentally, she's untouchable. Physically, though, she's vulnerable; not that it matters. You don't want to physically hurt her, it won't do you any good or get you any closer to breaking into her mind. Have fun." With that, Eleazar excused himself and left the room.

The others just stood in shock, glancing between each other and me. I had no idea what to even think. I was untouchable. How? If I had any power or ability then I wouldn't have been there. No, I would have been outside the walls, living a free and happy life. Surely they couldn't have made a mistake.

"Let's continue," Dr. Cullen said, dismissing Eleazar's opinion. "There has to be a way to break her. Kate, give it a try."

Kate stepped forward and came round the table. "Unlike most of you, I actually have to touch my Test Subject to hurt them. But, I can tell you now, this isn't going to work. My ability is not physical, it's mental. Like Eleazar said, we should just give up."

She advanced, putting on latex gloves while she did so. I didn't want her coming too close so gently raised my arm out to her. She looked straight at me and nodded. Her hand touched mine, and after a gentle squeeze, she turned away.

"I told you. If it had worked, she would have jumped back."

"Maybe you didn't use enough power. Try a higher voltage of electricity," Jane suggested, pointing back at me.

"It won't work, Jane."

"Humour me." Kate looked over to Dr. Cullen, who nodded, before sighing and touching my hand again.

I felt nothing but the latex against my hand, when I knew from the other Test Subjects that if Kate's power had worked I would have been cowering on the floor. She did not have such a bad reputation, mostly her power was used in defence or to tame a Test Subject; at least that's what I had heard.

"Anyone else want to have your power blocked?" Kate said, smiling at the rest of them. She took off her gloves and threw them in the trash, heading for the door. "If you break her, come and find me."

When the door shut, one of the doctors stepped forward, an evil gleam in his eyes. Oh, he was going to be like Jane, cruel to the very core. Instinctively, I shuffled back and hid behind my hair, watching all of them very carefully.

"I want a go."

"Felix, there's no point. Your ability is increased violence, you shouldn't even be here," Dr. Cullen pointed out, sighing.

"I'm sure that with a little encouragement her mental wall will break and you'll get in. Isn't it worth a shot?" He had already made the decision as he was taking long strides towards me.

I had nowhere to go; the reins wouldn't let me move. I hissed and threw out my arm in defence, my nails ready to do some kind of damage. Rather than back up, he increased his pace and before I knew it, I was pinned up against the wall with his hand around my throat. He was wearing gloves, too. No luck.

"Enter her mind now, Edward," Felix said, gritting his teeth at me.

I couldn't breathe, his grip was too tight. My feet were off the ground, and my hands were pinned. I struggled and fought, but I couldn't get any air. My vision was going blurry, my lungs were burning, and I was crying. He needed to let go! Not this way; I didn't want to die this way!

As if Death had heard my plea, I fell to the ground, gasping for air. Felix had fallen, too, and was writhing in pain next to me. Was I doing that? Was I hurting him?

Waves of calm hit me and I slouched back against the wall, my eyes glazing over slightly. I was numb, but I knew this was not my doing, or Death's. Glancing over to Jasper , I saw him nodding slowly at me. He was helping me regain my breath calmly, rather than allowing me to hyperventilate until I passed out.

The calming eased, and that's when I noticed two things. One, Felix was still writhing away in pain, and two, Jane was also in agony. Her eyes were clamped shut and her fists clenched at her sides. Looking at the others, I saw the source of it all. Dr. Cullen was looking at Jane intently. Gradually, he released them both; Felix's writhes less intense and Jane's eyes slowly opened.

"Do that to me again, Jane, and I'll fucking kill you!" Felix shouted, practically shaking in anger.

"I didn't do anything to you. That prick over there did! Don't ever do that again." Jane's nostrils flared as she looked at Dr. Cullen. "Have fun breaking in your new pet." She shot a look at me and then stormed out the room, Felix close on her heals.

"I think it's safe to say, I have no reason to be here," one of the few remaining doctors said as he walked towards the door.

"Thanks for coming along, Alec. I'll be sure to let you know if we get anywhere." He nodded and left, leaving me with Dr. Cullen, Jasper, and one female doctor who I didn't recognise.

"Chelsea, can you create some trust between me and Test Subject #23552. I'm curious to see if she blocks us just because she knows we're a threat," Dr. Cullen said, watching me carefully.

Trust? He wanted me to trust him? Oh, I would never trust him. The woman, Chelsea, may be able to build a bond of trust but it would never be real. No way was I going to trust him, ever.

"I don't think that's a good idea, "Jasper drawled. "She's angry at the suggestion. I think, Edward, that if you want in her mind, you need to earn her trust, not force it."

"I'm sorry, Jasper, I do not have the time to earn her trust. She is a Test Subject, nothing more. Plus, if this doesn't work we will have to resort to physical pain in the hope it can break her. I'd rather not spend my whole morning torturing her, so Chelsea, if you would please." Dr. Cullen waved his arm at me and stalked off to the side of the room.

With her gaze on me, I expected my opinion on Dr. Cullen to change, but it didn't. I was still repulsed by him, still scared of him, and still very much in awe of him. He was full of so much anger and hatred, which was definitely a dangerous combination. He was still a threat to me, and I definitely didn't feel like taking any risks around him. No, I'd be the perfect Test Subject in the hope he would just get rid of me sooner.

"Test Subject #23552, could you possibly let me read your thoughts? It's vital for your safety," Dr. Cullen said, giving me a smile. It was creepy, and I was also a little insulted by his ploy. I wasn't stupid, and I wasn't deaf.

Jasper burst out laughing and shook his head. "You insulted her, Edward, and I can tell you now that Chelsea failed to make her trust you. Her emotions haven't changed, and if anything, you freaked her out by smiling. That doesn't sound like trust to me."

"My ability is mental, Edward. I didn't expect it to work. Your best bet is to try Jasper's suggestion and actually earn her trust. Good luck, you'll need it." Chelsea didn't hang around, heading for the door immediately.

"So, what you going to do?" Jasper asked, walking over to Edward.

They both stood behind the table, looking at me. I was still slouched down against the wall, not daring to move, and waiting anxiously to hear what Dr. Cullen was going to say.

"Carlisle suggested physical pain as a way to break in. I'm going to try it out. You want to stick around and help me, or am I going to have to get Jane?"

"I'll stick around, but only because I don't want Jane getting any sick pleasure from this." Jasper was slowly turning into my saviour.

"Thanks, I'll go and get some of the guards to bring the equipment up." Leaving Jasper and I alone, Dr. Cullen left the room.

I couldn't take my eyes off of Jasper, and it seemed he was perfectly fine staring at me, too. Ever so slowly he walked towards me, getting onto his knees halfway.

"I know you can't control it, but if there is any way for you to stop blocking them, do it now. You're about to experience some unimaginable pain, and I don't want to see that happen to you. Let him in, and it'll be over. I beg of you, please." He looked so torn as he spoke, and I desperately wanted to do as he said.

When Dr. Cullen walked back into the room, I cleared my mind and tried to allow him permission, force my thoughts on him, but nothing happened. He spoke to Jasper like I wasn't even there, and no matter how hard I tried to get his attention mentally, it was futile. He couldn't hear me.

"Okay, Test Subject #23552, this is what's going to happen: we're going to strap you to a table and try out some tests on you. Majority of it will hurt, but that's the point. I will constantly be trying to get through that mental wall you have, and once I succeed, all of this will stop. Dr. Eleazar says you can't control it, but I don't believe him. So, when you've had enough, just let me know. I'll be listening," Dr. Cullen said, giving me another creepy smile.

In rolled the testing equipment he was talking about, and a bunch of guards. No matter how hard I tugged against the reins, they still managed to get me strapped to the table. It was much like the beds we had back in our cells, except it was angled upwards, so I was facing my torturers.

Jasper's sad look told me everything I needed to know in that second. This was not going to be the glorious and quick death I had hoped it would be. Instead, this was going to be utter hell. It was going to push me to my limits and then some.

At that point, I wished Dr. Cullen hadn't stopped Felix from strangling me. I wished I had died. Freedom would have been mine, and I wouldn't be facing hours of pain and torture ahead.

If they had any mercy, they would put me out of my misery now, before it began. But, sadly, I knew that was never going to happen.

_Let's just get this over and done with. _


	4. Chapter 3

**Test Subject #23552**

**Chapter 3**

**Dr. Edward Cullen's POV**

She was blocking us, and I could not have that.

My father was counting on me to come through for him and break her mind. He needed me to scan every memory and every thought in case some type of escape or attack was planned. Despite the test subjects being mostly docile towards us, we did always get the aggressive and flighty ones. They would attack the guards instantly, fight every doctor they came in contact with, and eventually they would die at the hands of us, screaming in agony.

Was Test Subject #23552 going to be another one of them? Was she to become another casualty of Dr. Walter Cullen's legacy? Was she going to die at my hands?

I never enjoyed the kill, and for that I was very grateful. There seemed to be a common cruelty among Superior Humans, as if watching someone die was the perfect entertainment, and that was something I could never understand. Thankfully, neither my wife or myself were like that, which let us, mostly, live a guilt free life.

However, standing in that room facing Test Subject #23552, I knew that I would be leaving with a hefty dose of guilt, and it wouldn't be Jasper's doing. No. Whatever the outcome was, I was not going to like it. It was a lose-lose situation all round. If we didn't crack her mind, we would kill her; and if we did crack her mind then we would have to kill her, eventually. Sadly, I knew that today, her death was going to be on my hands.

With Test Subject #23552 in place and the testing equipment at the ready, I was out of excuses and had to step up to the plate. Although I needed to gain access to her mind, I did not want to torture my way in. Watching someone beg for death was not my ideal morning.

"Okay, Dr. Cullen, we are ready when you are," one of the guards said, ensuring she was restrained properly.

Nodding, I stepped towards the work bench. Ideally, we would start with physiological methods to mess with her sense of time and the way she thinks, but ultimately, I did not have the time for that. Instead, I needed to let her know instantly how serious I was about gaining access to her mind.

"I think we'll start with the burners first." Picking up the burning metal rods, I glanced back at her.

In another time and place, she could be very beautiful. The beauty was there, hidden behind the mangled curtain of hair, but it was there. She also looked so very innocent, as if she had no idea of the pain she was about to receive; and she probably didn't.

Placing the rods back down, I took a pair of latex gloves out of my pocket and put them on. Moving closer, I looked for areas for the first burn to take place. The hands were immediately off limits, along with the feet, as she would need them to continue her daily life inside the walls. I hated burning the abdomen in case too much damage was done, therefore it looked like the limbs were my only option. With the hands off limits, I honed my gaze in on her shoulders. Striding forward, I moved the gown she was wearing to the side and took a good look at her pale, deathly looking skin in the contrast of the harsh lights.

It looked just like Rosalie's, though hers was never that white.

_What are you doing? This isn't right, Edward. Pack it up and walk away. _As much as I would have loved to do so, I couldn't. Carlisle needed me.

"Start the burners on her arm please, above the elbow but below the shoulder. She looks to have enough muscle there to take it." I walked back, ignoring Jasper's presence, and heard the guards pick up the rods. "Start with the right arm first."

In less than a second, her cries were heard. She didn't scream bloody murder, like I was used to, but instead cried out loudly in shock and then fell into a whimpering. My back was to her, and that was how it would remain.

"Don't be a coward, turn round and look at your work," Jasper spat, walking past me.

He had not taken his eyes off her, cringing every time her whimpering picked up. I knew that he would be feeling her emotions roll off in waves, but there was nothing I could do about that. I needed her to break, to let me in.

"Stop," I said, raising my hand. The guards did as they were told immediately, and her whimpering lessened until I could only hear her frantic breathing. "Turn the heat up, then begin again."

Jasper sneered at me and shook his head, the grinding of his teeth loud enough for me to hear. His opinions did not matter. This was standard procedure; so whether I liked it or not, I had to do it. Test Subject #23552 could easily end it all, but no, her walls were still in place, protecting her mind.

Her cry was much louder this time, and made me cringe slightly. It would hardly be noticeable to anyone, but it was there. My cringe was a sign of weakness, and I knew, had my father been watching, he would have cursed me out for it.

I should not have feelings or emotions when it comes to the Test Subjects. They are nothing but objects to be used and disposed of. If they are in pain, it should not even register to me. I certainly shouldn't be cringing about it.

Test Subject #23552 was making me weak, and I couldn't have that.

Turning round I faced the problem head on. She was tied down to the table, angled directly at us, as though she was standing up. Her face was scrunched up, her eyes clamped shut, and her fingers were balled into fists. Her whole body was lurched onto one side of the table, the opposite side to the burning rods, which were destroying her skin.

Striding forward, I reached for the rods, and took over. There was no mercy in the way I seared them into her flesh, watching it burn and melt before my eyes. Her whimpers picked up and she started sobbing louder, rather than the silent tears from before.

"It can all end, just let me in!" I spat, my heart rate and breathing picking up.

The more I breathed, the more I smelt it. Her flesh was sizzling and burning onto the rods, and it was overpowering. I was going to gag, but quickly shoved that down and exhaled sharply. It was awful, but it was necessary. She could end it.

No matter how many times I tried, I still got nowhere. The walls were up and enforce. She wasn't letting me in. There wasn't even any sign of weakness, as though we were breaking her down. It was actually the opposite, as if the walls had gotten bigger and stronger.

Dismissing that thought entirely, I threw the rods onto the floor in anger. The guards jumped back in surprise and kept out of my way. I saw Jasper step forward out of the corner of my eye, but he quickly stopped moving when he saw what I was going for.

Grabbing a medicated pad, I doused it in cooling liquid and slapped it onto her wound. That time she did scream. Yet again, no sign of weakness in her defences.

"Inject the venom," I demanded, pointing at her left arm.

Scrambling to keep up with me, the guards rushed over with the needle in hand and sought out a vein. Injecting her with the venom, her whole body changed. The quiet whimpering was long gone, and in its place was screaming.

The venom, a personal favourite when trying to extract information from POWs, burnt the body from the inside out, without causing any damage. It was ingenious, and something that usually brought the Test Subjects' to their knees. However, Test Subject #23552 seemed to be an exception to that rule.

The walls had become stronger, and the reinforcements were very clear. Her mind was practically locked in a castle, and with no way in unless she offered it. I did not have time for that. As history showed, castles could be taken over, and if I had to spend days torturing her to get in, then I would.

"Leave the venom in and tip the table back. I want her lying on her back."

"What are you doing?" Jasper asked, walking over to me quickly. "You can't leave the venom in and then torture her with something else. It could kill her." His eyes were frantic, and I could not understand why.

"I'm going to start the waterboarding. And in case you have forgotten, Jasper, we will be killing her anyway."

Grabbing the cloth, I walked over and moved her head to put it over. She looked straight at me, a silent begging in her eyes, but after trying her mind again, I knew it to be nothing but my imagination. She had the control, and once she relinquished it, I would stop. Until then, she was mine to do with as I pleased.

Tucking the cloth over her face, I turned and grabbed the hose. Testing the water by the drain, I checked to see if it was working correctly. Once satisfied with the amount coming out, I turned it on her. The effect was immediate.

Test Subject #23552's crying and whimpering ended abruptly by a sudden gag reflex, and while she had been struggling against the restraints before, it was nothing like it was after the water hit.

The sensation of her drowning sent her into a frenzy, tugging and pulling, her chest moving frantically as she tried to breathe, and all of it was fruitless. Jasper looked on with hatred in his eyes, and I briefly wondered if he was perhaps trying to calm her down.

With a quick, unobtrusive, look into his mind, I saw that he was holding back. Oh, he desperately wanted to help her, but he knew that if he did then he would face grave consequences. If Cullen Co. Labs could easily dispose of over two hundred thousand sub-human bodies a year, then one Superior Human body would be nothing.

"Take over," I said, handing the hose to the guard.

Although I had no issue with being in control of the situation, I was not properly trained in waterboarding. I had used the method before, but on occasion the Test Subject would not make it out. The guards were trained for it all, therefore it was safer for Test Subject #23552 if they took over.

The venom continued to burn through her veins, and the waterboarding continued to make her think she was drowning. The two sensations must have been so unusual together, but rather than break her walls down like I had hoped, it hadn't changed a thing. She was still as strong as she was before, keeping me locked out.

Taking a seat, I slouched down and rubbed my eyes. It was most frustrating that I had to be there, and even worse was the fact that I couldn't access her mind. It made me feel like a failure, and failure was something Edward Cullen did not do. I was successful at everything, and with my ability failing me, it actually made me feel inferior. How dare she make me feel that way.

"Jasper, keep control of the room. I shall be back shortly." I strode on out and marched straight to the lunchroom. It may have only been ten a.m. but the place was packed. Majority of the Superior Race did not have to sleep, therefore meal times were out the window. It seemed many of my fellow scientists had the same idea to eat a little early.

Grabbing a tray, I bought a bottle of water and a sandwich. The smell of burnt flesh was seared into my nose, and I didn't feel like eating, but I needed to get out of that room. I needed to get away from her, to test if my power still worked.

Was it just her I couldn't control, or were there others?

"Edward, hey!" I felt a small hand on my arm and looked down to see Alice Brandon, smiling at me brightly.

"Hi, Alice. I didn't expect to see you here." She steered my round and to a table at the back of the room, where her lunch already sat.

"I got a little bored, don't tell your father, so I skipped on out of the planned meetings." She pretended to look guilty but it didn't work. "So what are you up to? I thought Carlisle had you working hard until noon?"

"He does, but I needed to step away." I left it unexplained, and casually waited for her eyes to glaze.

Alice was capable of seeing the future, and the past. The future was trickier for her to see, and drained her physically if she tried to look for it. The past, however, was easy. She once said that it was like reading a book. It was all there, waiting to be seen, and all she had to do was access it. Therefore, it was no surprise when her eyes glazed over and she caught on to why I needed to get away.

"That's some pretty intense techniques you have there." Her tone had lost the lightness and humour from earlier. "You trying to kill her?" While it was a question, we both knew that I was not trying to kill Test Subject #23552.

"What would you suggest?" I asked, uncapping the bottled water and having a drink. "She's practically immune to our powers, and I need to explore every option."

Alice took a bite of her pasta and nodded in thought. "I agree; she is immune to most powers, but clearly not all. Jasper can still feel and dictate her emotions, and Eleazar managed to find her power without much effort. Even I managed to see her in mine. She clearly just needs to be accessed correctly, and torturing her within an inch of her life does not seem like the ideal way to do that, don't you think?"

I tore the sandwich into small pieces and picked at it, still trying to break into Test Subject #23552's mind. Alice did have a point though; I was going to have to let up on her if she was to make it past today. I'd rather have access to her mind than have her die.

"If you can see her past, can you see her future?" I asked, watching Alice carefully.

At the right moment, I invaded her mind to see what she was accessing, but she caught me and swiftly kicked me out. Raising her perfectly shaped eyebrow at me, she waited for an explanation.

"I wanted to see what you saw." It was a valid excuse, but did sound lame to my own ears.

"All you had to do was ask, Edward, and I would have shared. But now, because of your lack of manners, you will just have to wait until I decide to show you."

"So you did see something?" I asked, this time my eyebrow rose.

"Yes, I did. Now, stop playing with your food and tell me all about your plans to have a baby. From what I've heard being here today, it certainly seems like you and Rose and taking the leap to start a family. I never thought I'd see the day." Her grin was infectious, but I was immune.

Alice had seen something, and yet she wasn't overly alarmed by it. Did that mean I was to gain access to Test Subject #23552's mind soon? Were all my fears unfounded? Was Eleazar mistaken?

Rolling my eyes, I pushed my worries to the back of my mind and informed Alice all about Rose and my decision to start a family. While she gushed and grinned, pleasantly pleased with the way things were turning out, I worked harder to break #23552's mind from where I sat.

Having picked at most of my lunch, I only ate about a third of it. However, it was enough. Throwing away my trash, I walked with Alice back to the examination room. She had insisted on coming with me, even though she knew she wouldn't exactly be watching the nicest thing in the world.

"It's okay, Edward, I've seen these things before," she said quickly, before bounding through the door and straight over to Jasper.

And she had seen those things before. Due to her ability, she had access to thousands of years' worth of history, and easily accessed things no one else could. The perfect Miss Brandon led a double life.

To the outside world, she was the President's daughter, prim and proper, an utter delight to be around. Inside the walls of Cullen Co. Labs, she had taught and lectured on proper torturing techniques, providing us with the exact material we needed to be effective; and she was involved heavily in our marketing campaigns, ensuring that the reputation of Cullen Co. Labs was not tarnished in anyway.

The girl was a godsend, and one many underestimated.

Her small size and dainty shape made many think she was a pushover. Yet, she was one of only four people who had the power to kick me out of their mind. That was no easy feat. The skill required strong willpower, strong physical abilities, and a secure mind. With an insecure mind, I could easily take control. That was the norm, expect for Test Subject #23552.

Everything about her screamed insecurity, and yet her mind was solid. She wasn't kicking me out of her mind, but denying me all together. It was completely unheard of. With a mind like hers, I would expect her to be confident, charming, and fearless. Obviously, that was not the person opposite me.

The examination room no longer smelt like cooked flesh, much to my relief, and what was left of the water on the floor was drying up quickly. Test Subject #23552 stood upright on the table, a proper bandage round her burnt arm, the cloth removed from her head, her wet hair dangling and dripping onto her shoulders, and she was completely silent.

Reading the guard's mind, I saw how Jasper gave her the anti-venom but continued with the waterboarding, and when satisfied that had gone on enough he stopped it and cleaned her up. The man cared too much, and it was not something that would go unpunished.

"Seeing how we have exhausted three techniques so far, and with no luck, why don't we try something else," I said, walking over and taking a seat at the desk. "Get the paddles and start with the lower voltages. Shock her about five times each and then raise it. I'll let you know if you need to stay put."

I kicked my legs up onto the desk, crossed at the ankles, and my hands leisurely behind my head. I could hear Jasper's thoughts of disgust at my relaxed posture, but I ignored them. Ideally, I needed to be calm and relaxed to access a mind and take control, especially when it was one so powerful as Test Subject #23552's.

The low voltages had little to no affect to her. She tensed up, but that was it. As the voltages got higher, I expected her to react more, but that was not the case. The higher the voltage, the braver she seemed to get, opening her eyes and glaring at me. The hatred was obvious, but nothing I hadn't seen before.

Jasper started pacing as #23552's suffering increased. I kept a close watch on his thoughts and power, just in case he started interfering. As much as I respected him as a fellow doctor, he was too weak for the nitty gritty part of the job, and therefore a liability. No doubt, Carlisle would deal with him properly after this was all over.

"Stop," Alice said, shaking her head. I looked over in surprise, not expecting her to speak up. If anyone was to stop the procedure, it would have been Jasper, or so I thought.

"And why are we stopping?" I asked, unsatisfied with the progress so far.

"The next shock will kill her, I assumed you'd rather keep her alive," she replied, raising her eyebrow at me.

"Good assumption, thank you." Stretching out, I dropped myself back to the floor and went over to look at the next method we could use.

The venom was useless. The burning was useless. The waterboarding was useless. The electric shocks were useless. Was anything going to work? Scanning over the instruments before me, I severely doubted their usefulness, too.

"What are you thinking?" Alice asked, walking over to have a look.

"I'm not sure. We can't exactly use some of the more extreme methods yet," I said, shrugging.

"Why not?"

"Whatever damage we do effects how long she will have to heal before being used again in another trial, and she is well sought after."

"But wouldn't you rather break into her mind sooner rather than later?"

"Yes, but I don't really want to insert bamboo sticks beneath her finger and toenails just yet." Alice nodded and patted me on the back.

"Stick to the simple things for now," she said, grabbing my hand and giving a squeeze.

"Hit her?" I asked, just to check I got the message correctly.

"You have no idea how effective a good beating is to someone's mental state. But use it in conjunction with salt water, lemon juice and vinegar for the wounds if it doesn't get you anywhere. The stinging is sometimes worse than the cut itself."

Recalling how Alice had seen Test Subject #23552's future at lunch, I decided to take her advice. Either way, she was the expert on these things and I would be a fool to reject her help.

"Well, you heard the lady, gentlemen. Get to work," I told the guards, heading back to my seat at the other side of the room.

Trying to access Test Subject #23552's mind again, I was met with the wall once more. However, I was surprisingly hopeful that this method would let break it down. She couldn't hold on forever.

"Argh!" she cried, receiving a punch to the face. Her lip burst on impact and a small amount of blood trickled down her chin.

The look of pain across her face was only brief. She then smirked at me, shaking her head. From that point on, she didn't make a sound. Every hit, every strike, and every smack was met with silence.

One cheek was beaten and bloody, and then they moved onto the other. The bruising came up quickly, more blood wept from her wounds, and there was the occasional silent tear. However, it wasn't enough, and the guards' attempts to beat her were pathetic.

My patience was wearing thin.

I tried and tried and tried to break into her mind, to hear her thoughts, and yet there was nothing. The wall was still up, blocking me, and her thoughts were locked away tight. I couldn't hear her, and the longer the beatings went on, the more frustrated I became.

Jasper was shying away in the corner, watching with a grimace on his face, and Alice was completely unfazed. She had seen worse, so I wasn't surprised. Neither of them seemed to be as frustrated as me, though. We had been beating her face for over an hour, and still there was nothing.

It was driving me fucking mad!

"Again. Hit her again," I called, unsatisfied with the guard's attempt. "Harder." He raised his hand and struck her but still I couldn't hear anything. If my staff were so incompetent, then I would need to step in. "Oh for God's sake!"

Striding forward, I raised my hand and went to hit her, only to have Jasper step in between us. He gently pushed my chest and moved me away. "Whoa, back up right now. Don't put your hands on her."

"He's doing it wrong," I explained, my eyes still on Test Subject #23552.

"He's beating her face into a bloody mess, he's doing it right. Perhaps you should go home. We've been at this for hours. We can start fresh tomorrow."

Start fresh? Was Jasper mad? This was the best time.

"No, she's growing weaker. We plough ahead and I'll break through, I just know it."

"No, Edward, you won't. She's untouchable, you're not getting in there. Go home, unwind and we can try a different strategy later. Let her rest, dammit," he growled at me, his hands gripping my shirt tighter.

"Maybe you should go home, Jasper. You're clearly influencing her emotions."

"Oh you bastard, I'm not doing anything to her! If you haven't noticed, I'm the only one who can actually feel what she's going through! Every time you burn her, shock her, beat her, I feel it! Let her fucking rest!" Never, not once, had a fellow staff member yelled at me; I was completely shocked.

"She's not one of us, Jasper. She's a Test Subject, a sub-human. You need to remember that. She doesn't matter. She's a fucking number. Her emotions and feelings mean nothing. Now hit her again!"

"Is this making you feel big, Edward, having all that power over these poor, pathetic sub-humans? Do you like beating them until you break their jaw? Do you like burning their skin until you can smell it cooking? Do you like it?"

"Get out of my face, now." I was having none of it. He did not understand. I needed to hear her thoughts, and sometimes sacrifices had to be made. Yes, she was in an obscene amount of pain, but I was getting closer to accessing her mind. I just had to be.

"Or what? You going to strap me down, too? You going to beat, burn and shock me, too? Huh?"

"If that's what it takes, then yes! Now leave. As the superior doctor in the room I command you to leave. If you even think about staying I will have you forcibly removed."

"Forcibly removed, is that all you've got?" he said, shaking his head. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You want to play? Then let's play. Where should I start? Maria maybe? You remember her, don't you?" A fierce growl came from him, but it was nothing compared to what I was capable of. "Maybe you need to relive some of your times with her, huh? Should I start with the day you killed her, or maybe the day you killed-!" Jasper charged, and I instantly attacked his mind to stop him hurtling towards me.

Rather than stop him dead in his tracks, his body slammed into mine and he sunk his teeth into my neck, tearing at my skin. I grunted in pain and attacked his mind once more, yet failing again and again. What the hell was going on? Was I losing my ability?

The guards quickly were on us, pulling us apart and using all their power to hold us back. What with our genes, we were not easy to tame. The only thing that stopped Jasper trying to charge me again was the small presence standing in between us.

"That was ridiculous, and you should both be ashamed!" Alice yelled, glaring angrily at us. "Jasper, you know very well the punishments in place for such attacks, and I have every right to report your actions at once. And Edward, picking a fight and using someone's most personal and painful memories to do it is quite frankly sickening. I am horrified at the both of you. Now, clean yourselves up and let's all act like adults." With a tiny stomp of her foot, she was done.

Feeling at my neck, I winced and headed over to the workbench for something to stop the bleeding. Jasper wiped his mouth and chin, following me as he went to wash his face off. Despite the wound looking fierce and nasty, it would heal within hours, and I would only be left with a small scar.

"What the hell is going on? You've blocked your mind!" I asked frantically, shooting Jasper a dirty look.

Alice's eyes grew wide and a smile broke across her face. "I can't believe it," she muttered, shaking her head.

"How are you doing that?" I asked, frustrated beyond belief.

"I'm not doing anything!" Jasper yelled in return, staring at me like I was crazy.

"She is. She's protecting you. I didn't actually think the vision was accurate," Alice said, looking directly at Test Subject #23552.

"You foresaw this? Why didn't you say anything?" If she had known #23552 was capable of this then we should have been told immediately. Hell, she could be able to do other things and all of us could have been in danger.

"Because then it never would have happened. Telling you about the premonition always leaves room for it to change, and then what good would I be? I needed to know if it was possible."

"You risked us all, Alice. How could you be so foolish?" I asked, practically shaking in anger.

"I can see the future, Edward, I did not put anyone in danger. Had I seen something worrying then I would have shut the whole thing down before it could happen. You needn't worry so much about my ability. In fact, right now I think you should be worrying about your own. It seems that Test Subject #23552 can block you from other people's minds, too."

"That can't be possible," I muttered, looking directly at Test Subject #23552. "All her scans are normal, she doesn't have the capacity for a power."

"Eleazar did say she had one," Alice said, shrugging. "And I think this is proof that she does. You need to come at this from an entirely new angle, Edward. She protected Jasper. She chose to defend him. You need to earn her trust."

"And how do you suppose I do that, huh? I've just spent the last five or six hours torturing her. Why would she ever trust me?"

"I don't know, but I believe that's your only option."

I looked from Jasper to #23552. They were both watching me carefully. Jasper had wiped him face and was standing nervously close to her, and she was looking at me with suspicion.

"Guards, clean the place up, and let's not tell anyone about what happened. We will return the Test Subject to her cell," I said, motioning for them to get started. "Jasper, I apologise for my behaviour. I shouldn't have thrown your past in your face like that. Please forgive me."

"I forgive you, and I would also like to apologise for attacking you. I understand if you need to report me." I shook my head and waved him off.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just call it even. There is also the fact that she clearly trusts you. I am not going to throw that away. You're vital now, and I will make sure you're with her for all her assessments, examinations and procedures." He bowed his head in thanks, and then went over to untie #23552.

"Thank you, boys. I'm proud of you both for making up," Alice joked, grabbing my hand and leading me out the room. "You know what you have to do, don't you?" She whispered, half way down the hallway.

"No, what?"

"You need to be nice to her. I know that you don't like Test Subjects, but for this one, you need to make an exception. Be kind, try and get her to open up. Apologise to her, as well. Maybe, just maybe she will forgive you, and then you will be able to access her mind. "

"I think I can do that," I said confidently, only to have Alice laughed at me.

"Edward, trust is like a two way street, you will have to give her reasons to trust you, and the in return. If you don't trust her, then it will never work."

I stopped and sighed, feeling my careful defences shake. I would have to trust her. Could I do that? Would I be able to trust Test Subject #23552?

Either way, I have no choice. I had to trust Test Subject #23552 if I ever wanted to read her thoughts.

Good lord.

A.N.

Sorry for the delay, there was some family issues that needed to be dealt with. There might be a few more mistakes in this, let me know if there are. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 4

**Test Subject #23552**

**Chapter Four**

**Test Subject #23552's POV (Bella)  
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I had experienced many painful tests and experiments, but this was the worst. There was no letting up. I wasn't being burnt on the outside, I was being burnt on the inside. They all spoke as if I had the power and ability to end the torture, but I didn't. I mentally begged, pleaded and prayed, and still Dr. Cullen did not let up. The longer it took, the harder he pushed, and I felt like I was at my breaking point.

I only received a small reprieve when he left the room. The venom in my veins made it impossible to think, impossible to breath, and impossible to function. It felt like I was melting inside, getting worse and worse as it spread throughout my body.

The waterboarding…even thinking of it made me shudder.

I was drowning, that's the only way to describe it. I was drowning and I couldn't get any air in my lungs because they burned so much. It was a wicked and cruel torture, having me on fire on the inside and drowning on the outside. And yet, it wasn't enough.

When Dr Cullen left, Jasper came to my rescue. Immediately, he administered the anti-venom and the burning stopped. With the black cloth over my face, I couldn't see him, so when he leant down to whisper in my ear, I jumped.

"I have to keep up with the waterboarding, I'm sorry. If I don't, I will be relieved of my duties here and I won't be able to help. Do you understand?" I nodded my head and heard him say "good," before walking away.

With his retreating footsteps, I took that as my cue to gear up for the next onslaught of water coming my way. I could breathe properly, thanks to the anti-venom, but I knew I would still struggle when the time came; and I did.

With one sudden gush, I was drenched in water. I gasped in fright and inhaled water into my lungs, causing me to splutter and choke. It was so painful, my lungs burning in protest, as I tried to catch my breath. It wasn't working. I was drowning.

And then it was over.

Jasper let me recover, allowing me to stop chocking, catch my breath, and calm my breathing back to normal, before he began the process again. He was lessening my pain, giving me more time to recover, and I was so thankful for that. I sent my gratitude to him in waves, hoping he would get why I was thanking him. He did, as he sent me waves of understanding back.

We continued like that for god only knows how long, and then he called an end to it. The black cloth was removed, and the harsh lights made me shy away. Gradually opening my eyes, I saw the pained look on Jasper's face. He was my saviour, he had to be.

Scanning the rest of the room, I noticed Dr. Cullen was still not back. I feared what he could be doing. I knew that there were worse methods of torture, and if he decided to implement them, I would beg him for death. I also knew, thanks to the network of communication between my fellow Test Subjects, that Cullen Co. Labs had a consultant who taught, trained, and demonstrated the perfect torture techniques. If she was in the building, and found out about my situation, then I was going to face pain much worse than anything I'd ever encountered.

I wanted to die from a virus, or a bad vaccine, like every other Test Subject. I did not want to die from the agonising torture by one Dr. Death. No. The torture only made me want to fight harder, survive the torture, and go on to have a peaceful death.

I'd heard that they sedate you in the final hours of a bad vaccine or virus. I pined at the thought of sedation. That's what I wanted, and damn them for trying to take that from me. How dare they! It was my right as a Test Subject to die that way.

Jasper was kind enough to dress my burns with proper bandages, and he applied a light layer of cooling gel to ease the sting. He was much kinder at applying it than the others who slapped it on. I wanted to reach out and touch him, see if he was real. Surely he couldn't be. Surely he was an angel sent by Death to look over me. He had to be. He was too kind.

"Will…will you get in trouble?" I whispered, looking anywhere but at him.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Don't worry about me, I'm going to be fine."

I felt relieved after that, but it was short lived. Dr. Cullen remerged through the door, with the last person I wanted to see.

That was her. That was her; the Torture Queen. She knew everything, and was perfect at it. Many Test Subjects spoke of the small girl with short black hair who frequently visited. She looked harmless, but she was anything but. She held the power to destroy your body from the inside out, to perfectly peel your skin off, layer by layer; to stab you in the abdomen without hitting any organs and major veins, and she held the power to make your death the worst one imaginable.

I tried not to show my fear, but Jasper noticed the drastic change in my emotions. He frowned at me, and then greeted _Alice _like she was an old friend. No, not my angel. _Death, please tell me my angel is not friends with _her_?_ I wouldn't be able to cope if he was. Surely not.

While they all spoke and argued, I tried endlessly to make Dr. Cullen hear my thoughts. I broadcasted them the same way I did with my emotions to Jasper. Nothing happened. He didn't suddenly look round to me, didn't hold up his hand and stop the procedures, didn't send me back to my cell. It was useless.

They started right away, using electric shocks to try and break me. Dr. Cullen sat like a King behind the desk, watching me tense and cringe with pain. I would jump every time they touched the paddles to me, but I wasn't shying away from it. Every time they upped the voltage I would stare openly at him and try to force my thoughts into his head. It didn't work, but I kept trying. The shocks would get more intense, my muscles burning, but yet I couldn't do anything.

"Stop," _Alice _said, shaking her head at the side of the room.

I turned and saw her giving me a quick look over before turning back to Dr. Cullen. My angel was pacing the floor, looking so sad.

"And why are we stopping?" Dr. Cullen asked.

"The next shock will kill her, I assumed you'd rather keep her alive," Alice replied.

I cried out internally, feeling almost defeated. I was _that _close to death and _she _stole it from me. Why? Why did she have to speak up? Why couldn't she have let me go in peace?

_Oh, Death, why do you deny me so? Please, Death, please free me from this prison! I beg of you! _

"Good assumption, thank you." Dr. Cullen sat up, stretched and then went to peruse the other methods of torture. I expected them to call it a day, as they certainly weren't getting anywhere. However, that wasn't the case. Not at all.

The Torture Queen had a suggestion, again, and I was going to suffer some more.

"You have no idea how effective a good beating is to someone's mental state. But use it in conjunction with salt water, lemon juice and vinegar for the wounds if it doesn't get you anywhere. The stinging is sometimes worse than the cut itself." She spoke as though she was talking about cooking, throwing together a quick recipe, not about torturing someone and causing them extreme pain.

Oh how I loathed her.

When she mentioned physical violence as a way of breaking me, I did expect Dr. Cullen to do it personally, seeing as he held such hatred for me. However, that was not the case. The guards beat me instead.

The first punch to the face shocked me and I cried out in pain, feeling my cheek sting in agony. That was the last noise they would hear me make. I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of crying out and whimpering after every punch.

The hits continued, my lips burst in several places, blood filled my mouth, my cheek became so painful it felt numb, my nose crunched from one of the punches, my eye swelled up, and then they started on the other side.

It lasted hours, and hours. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my nose was broken, my jaw was broken, my cheekbones were broken, some of my teeth had cracked while others had come out, and I was a bruising and bloody mess.

The more they hit me, the harder it became to stand. I was losing energy, and the weakness in my knees was causing the wrist restraints to cut into my skin. There was no relief anywhere.

I expected it to continue down my body, and I at least thought I would add some broken ribs to my collection of injuries, but it never got that far.

When Dr. Cullen made to strike me himself, Jasper stepped up to stop him. He was openly protecting me, and I wanted to cry in relief. I couldn't take much more, and he was saving me. But then things turned nasty. Dr. Cullen started yelling back at Jasper and it was getting heated. I could hardly see out of my right eye, my left being totally swollen shut, but I knew how the situation was going to escalate.

Dr. Cullen made a move to attack, and I cried out "No!" in my head. Suddenly, Jasper had him on the floor and was biting into his neck, tearing at the skin. Unlike Test Subjects, Superior Humans could heal much faster. _Lucky._

The guards rushed in, and then Alice berated them both. Accusations were flying everywhere, but I wasn't paying attention. I was trying hard not to throw up all down myself. The pain and the blood was making me nauseous. Sooner or later, I was going to be sick.

"What the hell is going on? You've blocked your mind!" Dr. Cullen yelled, glaring at Jasper. I watched them both carefully beneath my curtain of hair and wondered if there was more to Jasper's power than I initially thought.

"I can't believe it," the Torture Queen said, shaking her head.

"How are you doing that?" Dr. Cullen asked again, growing impatient.

"I'm not doing anything!" Jasper yelled in return, looking lost.

"She is. She's protecting you. I didn't actually think the vision was accurate," the Torture Queen said, looking at me in amazement.

That really caught my attention, and made me freeze completely.

I had protected Jasper, how? I didn't do anything. I was restrained and away from it. I wasn't doing anything. How could I have protected him without realising? That just wasn't possible, especially since I didn't have anything to protect him with. Test Subjects' didn't have powers. I didn't have powers.

No, they had to be mistaken. Maybe Jasper's power had adapted or something. It wasn't me. It couldn't be me. I wasn't a Superior Human, I knew I wasn't. They screened us at birth and they tested us every year. If I had a power then they would have seen it on the scans. It would have come up. I wasn't like them. I was a Test Subject, I was meant to die a horrible death having lived a horrendous life. I wasn't meant to be a Superior Human. They had to be wrong.

"You need to come at this from an entirely new angle, Edward. She protected Jasper. She chose to defend him. You need to earn her trust," the Torture Queen stressed.

"And how do you suppose I do that, huh? I've just spent the last five or six hours torturing her. Why would she ever trust me?"

Once again, they spoke as though I wasn't in the room. For once, I wanted them to direct their questions to me. I wanted them to ask my opinion on what was going on. I would tell them anything and everything they needed to know to help them 'crack' my mind if that would mean a quick and easy death for me. But their prejudice clearly stopped them from asking.

Dr. Cullen and Jasper both apologised to one another, and then he left the room with the Torture Queen. She was making jokes and laughing, as though they hadn't just spent hours torturing someone. How anyone could be that cold was beyond me.

My angel, Jasper, came over and untied me from the restraints. Unfortunately, he had to keep me in some of them while the guards were there, but once they left, he set me free.

"Are you okay?" he asked, gently placing his hand on my shoulder. Squinting out my good eye, I looked at his angelic face and nodded. He sighed and shook his head before grabbing a damp cloth from the workbench.

Jasper dragged a chair over to where I was and made me sit down. My legs practically gave out beneath me. Then, he softly dabbed the cloth against the many cuts and bruises covering my face. I whimpered and tried to shy away from the pain, causing him to stop completely.

"I don't know what to do," he confessed. "They won't treat you at the infirmary, but I can't leave you in this pain."

Oh, he was my very own Angel. Death had sent him to look over me through the hard times. He would eventually lead me to my sweet and peaceful death. I was sure of it.

"Promise me something," Jasper said, looking straight at me. I couldn't speak so nodded slowly. "Promise me that you won't leave this room. I'm going to go and get you some painkillers, but it will take me a little time. I can't take you with me and I can't take you back to your cell. Once there, I won't be able to see you. So promise me, _promise me_, that you won't try and escape."

Tears ran down my cheeks and I nodded, reaching out for his hand and giving it a squeeze. He took a few ragged breaths and shut his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered, squeezing my hand back before going to leave.

Then I was alone. Completely alone.

This time being alone was different from what it was like when I was in my cell. Unlike there, I had access to weapons. While the Superior Humans could stop me if I wished to escape, it wouldn't be without a struggle.

This was trust.

Jasper had left me alone, completely unrestrained and unsupervised. He didn't doubt me when I promised him, and he didn't flinch when I touched his hand. He trusted me not to lash out and hurt him; he trusted me not to try and escape; and he trusted me not to kill myself.

I was surrounded by equipment that could do it. Death was right there before me, but he trusted me not to, and I was not going to break my promise to him. So instead of doing something stupid, I remained seated and waited for him to get back.

When Jasper said it would take him a little while, he wasn't kidding. I waited for half an hour before the fear set in. I couldn't help but wonder if they had caught on to what he was up to. Did they know he was trying to help me? Had Dr. Cullen actually reported his attack?

Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to help him. I couldn't leave the room, no matter what. If he hadn't been found out, and it was just taking him a very long time, then I risked drawing serious attention to his movements. Dr. Cullen and the Torture Queen had left him in charge of me; if I was to suddenly go walking around unrestrained then he would be in serious trouble.

I didn't know what to do, but was so restricted that there nothing I could do. I had to wait it out. Silently, I begged to Death to keep his Angel safe. Jasper was my saving grace, I needed him to be alright. Without him, my time left at Cullen Co. Labs would be so much worse.

The door opened and I relaxed back into the seat, relieved that my angel had returned to me. He was going to ease the pain radiating from my face. It hurt so bad, and the pain was constant. I couldn't even move my head slightly without crying out in agony.

Turning my head ever so slowly, I looked out my good eye towards my angel. It was not him, however. There, five feet before me, stood Dr. Cullen. He had a file in one hand, and a briefcase in the other. He placed the file down on the table before walking forward.

"I see that Jasper took you out of your restraints. He should not have done that, but under the circumstances, I can see why he did." Grabbing the closest chair, Dr. Cullen took a seat opposite me.

"I managed to sneak into the supply cupboard and I brought some pain relief for you. I suspect your face to be hurting, along with the burns." His eyes glanced down to the bandage on my arm and he frowned. "This was not the outcome I wanted, #23552, and I hope you understand that."

I took that to be some sort of apology.

Opening up his briefcase, Dr. Cullen took out sterile wipes, lotions, syringes, and two small medicinal bottles. He placed them on his lap and then paused, glancing up at me.

"I…I want to help you. Please, take it and use it to heal yourself. I don't particularly want you suffering from your wounds." I didn't know what to do, but Dr. Cullen made the decision for me and handed me the whole lot. Then he realised how impractical it was for me to administer my own pain meds.

"Eh…I…sorry, I can help," he fumbled, taking back the syringe and the medicine bottles. "Thankfully, my doctorate was in medicine, and not in research. This will be just a short pin-prick and then it'll be over."

Dr. Cullen filled the syringe with the clear liquid from the medicine bottle and then reached out for my arm. His latex gloves covered his skin and were cool to the touch. He used the intravenous cannula, which was already in my arm for feeding, to administer the painkillers.

"This will take a few minutes and then you'll start to feel the pain lessen. I'll also apply this lotion which should speed up the healing process on your cuts and bruises. It may sting a little while I apply it," he said, unscrewing the cap.

I watched carefully as he put a small amount on his fingers and leant over towards me. The pain had lessened and my face felt numb. Gently, he smoothed the lotion over my face, taking care not to press too hard.

"We just approved this lotion last month. It has yet to hit the shelves, but it is very effective. It will drastically aid your body's natural healing process, and these bruises should fade away within a few days."

Dr. Cullen looked rather awkward as he spoke, as if he didn't know what to say in the first place. His attempts at making small talk might have been to try and relax me, but that wasn't working. I was nervous, for two reasons. One, Dr. Cullen was a scary and frightful man who couldn't be trusted, and two, Jasper had yet to return.

I didn't know what to make of that. He may have been caught breaking into the infirmary supplies, or he may have been held up and was making his way straight towards me. Both of those options weren't good. If Dr. Cullen suspected Jasper was helping me then he would be in a lot of trouble. The fact that I had been left unattended and unrestrained in the room already looked bad. Who knew what could happen if Jasper was actually caught helping me.

But, then again, Dr. Cullen was helping me, and I knew for a fact that was strictly prohibited. This whole thing could have been an act, one devised by the Torture Queen to get me to trust him. I refused to blindly trust him, and I definitely wasn't going to let my guard down. I was vulnerable and weak while he was helping me, but that did not mean I wasn't prepared. Being unrestrained had its advantages.

Whatever he had injected into me made me feel rather drowsy. I had to fight the urge to just close my eye completely and let sleep take over. I was not going to sleep in front of him, where he could do whatever he wanted to me and I wouldn't know. I needed to stay on my guard. Unfortunately, that was much harder than I would have liked.

The door opening startled me, and the urge to sleep was momentarily subdued. My angel had entered, and he looked very confused by the scene before him. I tried to open my mouth and explain, but the pain was too much. As good as the painkillers were, they hadn't relieved me completely of discomfort.

"Edward, what are you doing?" he asked, closing the door properly behind him. There was a slight panic to his voice, which was obvious to everyone.

"I should be asking you the same question, Jasper." My angel dropped his head at that and sighed.

"She needed help; I let her out the restraints as they were hurting her. I thought it was best."

Dr. Cullen put the cap back onto the lotion and tossed it into his briefcase. He then packed the rest of the medical supplies away and shut it firmly. Jasper watched him carefully, wondering what his next move would be.

"Don't do it again, and I trust that you'll pay for the supplies you've just stolen." Dr. Cullen nodded towards the bulge in Jasper's lab coat pocket. "Return her to her cell, please." Without another word, he left, as though he had done absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

I was struggling to keep myself upright in the chair, and was gradually sliding down towards the floor. Jasper quickly came to my aid, hoisting me into his arms.

"I've got you now, you're safe. I'll make sure you're alright," he whispered, holding my head against his chest. "Rest, we'll have another big day ahead of us tomorrow."

I felt my body being carried across the room, and I heard the door shut as we left the room. After that, I was gone. I could feel Jasper's strong arms holding me up, and could hear his heart beat thumping against his chest, but that was it.

Only the stone cold slab that I called my bed alerted me to the fact we were back in my cell. Jasper placed me down gently and I felt his latex gloves smooth the hair away from my face.

"Sleep now, I've got you, and I always will."

The door to my cell shut loudly, alerting me to his departure, and it finally let me succumb to the painkillers. Sleep was easy and calm that night, unlike so many others, and for once, I actually felt hopeful.

Death had sent me an Angel.

_Thank you, Death!_


	6. Chapter 5

**Test Subject #23552**

**Chapter Five**

**Dr. Edward Cullen's POV**

I helped her.

I had gone back, after beating her blue and melting her skin; I had gone back and helped her.

The rational part of my brain reminded me that I was a doctor, it was my job to help and heal, and I could gain her trust by doing so. The irrational part, the part that was currently in control, had no clue why I went back to her.

It was awkward, so very awkward, and I couldn't stop myself from cringing at the thought. I was a bumbling fool out of my comfort zone, and that encounter was just proof. I made a complete idiot out of myself, and that wasn't going to happen again. Never would I allow her to see me weak and out of control. It didn't reflect the strong and cold image I had made for myself.

It would do no good to alert my co-workers, and father, that I hated the injustice. However, that didn't stop me from being prejudice towards Test Subject #23552 and treating her like the animal she was when others were around.

While I would like to think I still had something left of my soul, I seriously doubted it. How could a man like me, a cold-hearted monster, have a soul? It was gone, grazed and torn, ripped and shredded, until it was no more. One good deed, no matter how much I wanted it to, was not going to change that.

I really didn't know why I went back to her, but I did. I may not have a soul, but there was some humanity left, thankfully. Be as that may, Test Subject #23552 would not see it again. Ever.

Jasper would also not see it again. He had taken many liberties today, and although I had antagonized him into a fight, he had broken countless protocols and that warranted punishment. I would have gone ahead with an official reprimand, had it not been for the fact he had seen me, with stolen supplies, healing a Test Subject we spend all day trying to break.

Information like that would be invaluable to my father. He would make it his own personal mission for me to join his cause, to accept the belief that we were better than Test Subjects. Although I doubted Jasper would use that information against me, if he felt threatened, he could and, most likely, would.

I couldn't punish him, as much as he deserved it.

Instead, I had to pretend it never happened, that I hadn't had a moment of weakness. Whether Jasper was going to do the same, I didn't know. My only hope was that he had enough sense in himself to know when to leave things well enough alone.

After helping Test Subject #23552, I went back to my office, packed up my belongings and headed home. Glancing at the clock before I left, I knew Rose would already be there, waiting on me. Tonight was another one of _those _nights, and I would have to fob her off, again.

She was ovulating, and that meant I had a job to do.

I was fully aware that when I married Rose, we would have kids. However, I didn't think we would plan it down to the very months we conceived, or what night of the week was best to achieve fertilisation. In all honestly, I thought she'd have a stomach bug for a week or so before either one of us clocked she was pregnant. It would be a complete surprise, no planning whatsoever. A part of me wished we could do it that way.

Instead, I was used much like a machine. I doubted other men would complain, but I wasn't other men, and they didn't spend their whole day torturing people. How was I to get an erection when all I could think of was Test Subject #23552's skin melting under the burners, or her blood splattering onto the floor every time we punched her in the face?

That wasn't sexy, and despite my wife being a complete goddess in bed, some things just can't be erased from the mind. Why would I want to make a baby on the same night I just about killed someone? That's not how I want to remember that monumental event. It would just be better if we tried for a baby next month. Convincing Rose of that, though, was another thing.

It was only a short drive from Cullen Co. Labs to our house, and I was there in no time. Rose's car in the drive meant I had no more time to think of an excuse about tonight, and I quickly headed inside. I smelt dinner the second I walked in, and I knew that she was going all out. Music was playing softly in the dining room, floating through the house, and her melodious voice was following from the kitchen.

"Is that my charming husband I hear?" she called, turning to look at me in the doorway. I smiled and walked over, dumping my things on the kitchen table.

How I managed to marry such an amazing woman was beyond me. She was absolutely stunning, and my love for her knew no bounds.

"Dinner smells good," I commented, coming up behind her. I wrapped my arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck, enjoying the scent of her enveloping me.

"Why thank you," she replied, turning her head to kiss me. I would happily stay attached to those lips for the rest of my life. They were that fantastic. "I was thinking we could have a little dinner, a little dessert, and then maybe something special after?" Her eyes were alight with ideas and it killed me to turn her down, but there was just no way.

"Dinner and dessert sound wonderful, but I think I'll take a rain check on something special." The killed the mood faster than I expected.

Rose turned in my arms, her back against the counter, and scowled at me. "Why would you want to take a rain check? Edward, I'm ovulating, we need to have sex." I pinched the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes, counting to five.

"I know that, but I can't tonight." She wasn't happy with that answer, and her scowl became more prominent.

"Can't or won't?" She was practically spitting venom at me.

"Rose, I've had a horrible day, and I am not in the mood," I said, trying to ease the situation. If I didn't, I was going to be spending the night on the couch. Though, with the way things were going already, I was probably doing that already.

"All you need to do is ejaculate, is it really that hard?" I rolled my eyes and walked out of the kitchen, heading upstairs to get changed. Rose decided to follow, clearly not finished with our argument. "I don't understand you. First, you say you want a baby, and now you're saying you don't. Make up your mind!" she called, marching up the stairs behind me.

"I never said I didn't want a baby, Rose, and you know that. Don't twist my words. I just don't want to try for one tonight. Unlike you, I don't sit in a lab and play scientist, I actually work for a living."

"Excuse me, what did you just say to me?" I didn't need to be a mind reader to know she was going to kick my arse for that comment, and I most likely deserved it.

"Rose, I'm tired. I want to take a shower, have something to eat and go to bed. I'm not in the mood to have sex. It's not going to happen. So please, let's drop it."

"No, how dare you say I don't work hard. I worked my arse off to get me where I am, and I didn't need help doing so. You may work with the Test Subjects, Edward, but I choose whether they live or die. It's my hand that decides what goes into their system, whether it be enhancers, viruses or vaccines. You don't have to examine their body after death and see the damage you caused, so don't you dare say I don't work hard or that I just play at being a scientist!"

I dropped my head in shame and tried to reach out to her, but Rose moved away. We were in our bedroom, and I had already begun to strip down for my shower. She had her arms crossed, glaring at the bedspread.

"I don't want to fight, Rose, I just want this day to end."

"We're meant to be starting a family," she replied, reminding me, yet again.

"Rosalie, I don't want to try for a baby after I spent all day torturing someone. This isn't how I want our family to start." I unbuttoned my shirt and dropped it onto the bed before starting on my belt.

"Torturing Test Subjects is a requirement of the job, Edward, and you know that. Are you going to use this excuse every time I bring up my ovulation, or just this month?"

"It's not like that; we can maybe try in a few days. I just want my hands to be washed of this Test Subject before I even think about brining another soul into the family," I said, exasperated with the way things were going.

"So how long until you feel comfortable enough to start trying again, hmm? Am I going to be waiting around for weeks, months, years?"

"I don't know, Rose. Hell, this Test Subject has powers we don't even know about. She could do anything to me, and I do not want her to have control in any way. Image in she found out about you, or our plans to have a family, and somehow used that against us? She is too powerful, too dangerous, and until she's dead or broken, I'm not going to start trying for a baby."

"Fine. When you are done with her, come find me." With that, Rose left the room.

Despite having made some valid points about Test Subject #23552, Rose was always going to ignore them. She wanted a baby so badly, and I did too, but I could see the bigger picture. What kind of world were we bringing a baby into when mommy and daddy killed people for a living? Granted, I didn't kill them personally, but I did sign their death warrants.

No, things were too messed up right now to try for a baby, no matter what Rose thought.

I stuck to my guns that night, and after showering, we ate dinner in silence. Both of us sat with files scattered across the table, eating and working, like nothing had happened. When it came to the matter of sleeping, Rose took the spare bedroom, and I got our bed. She made it very clear with that move that I would need to be willing to have a baby before she came back to our bed again.

Once the sleeping arrangements were sorted out, I expected to get a good night's sleep. That didn't happen, though. All I could think about was Test Subject #23552 and how she had blocked my powers. There was no way she was just merely a Test Subject, she had to be something more.

Seeing as we hadn't broken her, I was going to have to start from scratch. The next round of tests would be medical examinations. We needed to have a look at what was going on inside her. I would arrange them for tomorrow, as it was a must. Her last test results showed no abnormalities, but that didn't mean things would be the same.

There had been rumours, before, of others. They were like us, but different. Hybrids.

They were rumoured to be outside the quarantine zones, in no man's land. While the cities and towns across America all remained protected, the land between them was a jungle of sorts. You either lived in the city, or you died in the wild. There was no two ways about it.

Past quarantine, you were risking life and death from a number of deadly viruses, and there were countless roads that had been cut off due to hazardous terrain. It was almost impossible to drive between cities, and if one did so, they did it at their own peril.

To many, Hybrids were a conspiracy theorist's wet dream, made up from the ashes of the unknown; and to others, they were as real as you and me. Whether I believed, was undecided. Gossip implied we weren't the only ones around, and that if a Sub-Human and Superior Human mated then their child would be Hybrid. What that meant exactly, I didn't know, but if Test Subject #23552 was not alone in her ability, there would be serious trouble ahead.

Of course, just because she was different didn't mean she was a Hybrid. From the files, I knew, for a fact, that both of Test Subject #23552's parents were Sub Humans. They didn't possess any special traits, and the only reason they went into the Breeding Program was so we could repopulate our Test Subject stock.

It took us eighteen years to mature Test Subjects, so it wasn't as though we could make them instantly. Despite receiving many Sub Human babies that hadn't made the cut, even when their parents were Superior, we're still going through them faster than what we have on hand. How we hadn't run out yet was completely beyond me.

Regardless, Test Subject #23552 could be a Hybrid, a Sub Human, a Superior Human, or bloody Santa Clause, it made no difference to how she would be treated. Tomorrow, I was going to get my act together and keep my conscience to one side. I needed to be her doctor, her killer, not her friend, or her healer.

Shutting my eyes, I relived the afternoon's torture, and at some point, I must have fallen asleep.

* * *

><p>Upon my orders, Test Subject #23552 was taken for every medical test we could think of. The results were coming at me thick and fast, and I barely had time to analyse one before another was handed to me. What I needed was assistance, and the only person I trusted to look through them with as much scrutiny as myself was Jasper.<p>

He had a personal connection to #23552, so would no doubt go out of his way to help her. It wouldn't have escaped his notice that this case was now very important. My father had brought it up that morning at the weekly briefing, and he had insisted I use every option available to us. The sly nod he made towards Alice was not lost on me, nor on Jasper.

"Did you speak to him?" I asked the woman herself as everyone darted off back to his or her work.

"Perhaps."

"You had no right to. This makes me look bad."

"This doesn't make you look bad. What makes you look bad is that you're going easy on her." She gave me a knowing look and continued walking. "I'm here to help, use me."

"You said torture wouldn't work," I pointed out, not understanding what she was implying. Alice rolled her eyes and nodded.

"That's because it won't. You're not the only one who could break her, Edward." Her smile was almost predatory. "With a little bit of trust, she'll drop her walls, and you only have to be in hearing distance to pick it up."

"You want to gain her trust?" I asked, completely flabbergasted.

We had reached the holding room where Test Subject #23552 was being kept, and Alice nodded. "Just give me a chance, if she doesn't warm to me then I'll drop it. However, your father isn't convinced torture is the wrong way to go with this. If you don't give me the chance, he's likely to take over, and trust me when I say, he'll kill her before he works out her secrets." Alice tapped her head all knowingly and smiled brightly. "So, can I help?"

After begrudgingly answering yes, Alice immediately bounced on into the room to properly greet Test Subject #23552. From then on, she'd stuck to her like glue. Whatever test I sent her for, Alice insisted on going, too. It was becoming rather silly for me to even be there, listening to Alice prattle on while #23552 looked at her with hatred and disdain.

Retreating to my office, I went over Test Subject #23552's file again, looking for any abnormalities that had been missed. There were none. That's when the results started flooding in, and when I paged Dr. Whitlock to come and help me.

He entered my office, looking round for any other guests, and then shut the door. It was clear he was going to talk about last night, which was the last thing I wanted to discuss. If, and when, he brought it up, I was going to just ignore it. Simple as that.

"Thanks for answering my page," I said, acknowledging his arrival. "I need you to help me analyse these. Test Subject #23552 is currently undergoing more tests, but these are the results we have so far." Jasper didn't say anything, but rather, he took a seat and got to work.

Twenty or so minutes passed before he finally plucked up the courage to speak, and I really wished he hadn't.

"Are we going to talk about last night?" He made it sound like some seedy affair had taken place, as though we were both as guilty as each other. I refused to believe I was. He was guilty, of course, but not me. I could only be guilty if I had done something, and I hadn't. Nothing had happened; nothing at all.

"Absolutely not. Do you think there is anything in this light shadow here, in her chest?" I asked, trying to deflect. Being the professional that he is, Jasper examined what I was talking about, or tried to anyway as I had completely made it up.

"No, I don't see the shadow, maybe it's the lighting in here. Back to my question, I really do think we need to discuss this."

"We don't, so let's drop it, now," I said, curtly. How was I to concentrate with him and his incessant chatter?

"Edward, I need to know if you're going to fire me." I looked straight at him and frowned. The man was an idiot. I would have thought after what I said the night before, he would have known then that I wasn't going to fire him.

"Of course I'm not going to fire you. You're an asset to this company, and if I did fire you I would need to explain why. I think you, of all people, can understand why I would not want to do that." It dawned on him then and he nodded, relieved.

"Yes, I understand." He turned away from me and went back to his notes, giving them a quick perusal before thanking me. I didn't say anything, and returned to my own files, hoping he would drop the situation there.

Then again, Jasper wasn't as smart as I thought he was.

"Why did you go back to her?" He had stopped working, again, to ask, and I was so close to throttling him.

"That is none of your business, now if you would please go back to working-"

"No, I need to know. Was that just to mess with her mind, or did you actually let some emotion through that perfect mask of yours?" I glared at him and held back the vicious words just waiting to fly out my mouth.

It took me a moment to think over my reply. I had two options; lie to him, or tell the truth. Both were very appealing, and both would have been believable. However, if I lied, he would take an even worse protective stance in regards to #23552, and that would make things much harder.

"I didn't go back to mess with her. I just couldn't leave her in that condition." With that said, I went back to examining her test results, like I wished Jasper would do.

"You went back because she's different," Jasper mused aloud. It was the most ridiculous thing I had heard, and I wanted to slap some sense back into him.

"What an earth are you talking about?"

"She's different. She has this power over us, that makes us care," he explained, with so much conviction.

"Absolute rubbish," I spat. "We've tortured people for years, what makes you think she is any different?"

"Because she is different, and you know that. You feel it, too, I know you do, or you wouldn't have gone back to her."

"She's not different, these results are proof of that. She's no different than the other fifty thousand Test Subjects crippling in their cells right this second."

"Yes she is," Jasper said, shaking his head at me. "Every other Test Subject looks at us with hatred and revulsion, but she looks at us with pity. She sees us for what we are, monsters, and she pities us."

"While you are deeply moved by that thought, I am not," I replied, looking at his with disregard. "She's not different, and even if she was, it would not stop her impending death. She has to die, so do not get any romantic notions of saving her, because I can promise you now, that if you do prevent her death, I will make sure it is the last thing you do." My threat fell on deaf ears as he shook his head at me.

"You wouldn't have gone back to anyone else, I know you. It's her. She has control-"

"The one thing she does not have is control," I said, gritting my teeth. "I had one moment of weakness, and that was that. She did nothing to control my actions into going back for her. Get that into you head now."

"That's where you're wrong, Edward. She does have control. She stopped you yesterday from attacking me by controlling your actions. Granted, we don't know how she did it, but she did. Don't underestimate her, because you'll live to regret it." I narrowed my eyes at his words and watched him carefully.

"Do you know something I don't?" He looked at me in confusion and shook his head. "You made it sound like she has confided in you." Jasper sat back and raised his hands in surrender.

"She didn't tell me anything, Edward, I promise."

Without a moment's thought, I had infiltrated his mind and was shifting through his memories and thoughts. He tried to fight me off, but it was futile. I was on a mission, and I would find what I was looking for.

_"I've got you now, you're safe. I'll make sure you're alright," I whispered, holding her head against my chest. She was so vulnerable, in that moment and she trusted me to look after her. "Rest, we'll have another big day ahead of us tomorrow."_

_I carried her back to her cell, relieved no one else was around to see me. The guards were absent from their post, and that lapse in security was my saving grace. If they had seen me, they would have called someone; most likely Edward. There was no way I could leave her alone with him. He'd kill her, and I couldn't have that. She deserved better. _

_With a little bit of difficulty, I got her into her cell and onto her bed. She looked so peaceful, so relaxed. That was going to be shattered soon enough. Moving some hair out of her face, I gave her one last look. She definitely deserved better than this hell. _

_"Sleep now, I've got you, and I always will." _

Interesting. Very interesting.

Releasing his mind, I sat back in my chair and eyed him warily. He was taking deep breaths and glaring, muttering profanities at me. He had a right to be pissed, but I had a better one.

"You're going to try and save her," I said, incredulously. His look changed from one of anger to defeat.

"She deserves to be saved," he replied, pitifully.

"You're a bigger idiot than I thought you were. You can't save her!" I cried, shaking my head.

Jasper tore his eyes from mine and shuffled the papers in front of him, buying time before answering. No matter what he said, it wouldn't repair the damage already done. His memories gave him away.

"This is why she's different. You can deny it all you want, but I think she's worth saving. She's already survived everything we've thrown at her, and she poses no risk to anyone. Why can't we save her, instead of slaughtering her?"

"You don't know if she's a risk! No one does! She could be more powerful than all of us put together, we just don't know! And as for your plan to save her, what would you do with her once she was outside these walls? There is nowhere for her to go. She has no identification, no credentials, no prospects. She would have to hide for the rest of her life."

"Well, that's better than dying inside these walls never knowing what life was really like!" he yelled, rising to his feet. "We kill thousands, why can't we save just one?"

"Because it's our job to kill them, not to save them," I replied quietly, hating my very existence.

Test Subjects were replaceable, that's how it was. It didn't matter that they had thoughts, feelings, and felt pain just like us. They were the weaker ones, and nothing was going to change that. Jasper's naïve views were nothing new. Many doctor's before him had thought the same, and they had ended up like our Test Subjects, disposable.

"We can't change that fact Jasper, so unless you want to hand over your resignation now, quit trying to save her, and just do your job. Perhaps you can ease her suffering in her final moments or something, but don't make this a goddamn suicide mission. They'll dispose of you faster than they'll dispose of her."

He fell back to his seat and chucked his pen on the desk. The look of total despair on his face mirrored my internal look, exactly. Rather than try and talk to him about what his next move would be, I left him alone and went to check on Alice. Any excuse would do to get me out of that room, really.

I found Alice chatting Test Subject #23552's ear off in the holding room. She didn't even stop talking when I walked in, just gave me a quick smile and prattled on. For that, I was thankful. It gave me time to grab #23552's chart and look over what tests she had been to already.

As it turned out, she was done for the day. All that needed to be done was the analysis of her results. From what I had seen so far, there was nothing there. She was perfectly healthy, and there wasn't any growth in her brain where her power would stem from. She was the ideal Test Subject.

"Alice, can you leave us for a moment?" I asked, turning back to the two of them.

Test Subject #23552 was sitting up in one of our infirmary beds, and Alice was sitting at her bedside. Seeing as #23552 was still so unpredictable, her ankles and wrists were wrapped with padded restraints, attached to the bed rails. Despite the vulnerable look I expected, there was one of defiance.

"Okay, I'll be in your office," Alice said, rising slowly. "Call me if you need me." She gave me a pointed look as she walked by, stressing that I be nice, and shut the door behind her.

Walking to the end of #23552's bed, I glanced over her notes one last time before finally meeting her eyes. Unlike yesterday, she wasn't using her hair as a shield to hide her face. This gave me a proper chance to really look at her, and take her in.

The lotion I had administered yesterday was working wonders on her injuries. The bruising was nearly gone, and the cuts were healing nicely. It was good to see that our product was doing its job well, especially after the beating she had received.

"We haven't found anything in your test results to explain your abilities, yet. However, I don't think we're going to find anything," I said, more to her bedspread than her. She didn't seem fazed by my news, but maybe she was expecting that.

"As of tomorrow, you will have one on one sessions with me. I'll take you out of the restraints, and we'll work on a few things together." That made her recoil in the bed, but her mask never fell. "It's either sessions with me, or Alice," I said, waiting for her to pick, but as ever, she was reluctant to speak. "I'll take your silence to mean you'd rather have me."

It could hardly be classified as a nod, but it was one, and that gave me hope. It was the only sign she had really been listening, and the only sign that I was getting somewhere. She responded to me, in a positive manner, and that's what mattered.

Progress had been made, if I could call it that.

"I will be honest you, because I think it's clear that you deserve that much." Her eyes narrowed slightly, but I wasn't concerned. What I had to say was important. "Dr. Whitlock may be out to save you, but I am not. The harsh reality is that you will die in these walls, and there is nothing that can be done about it. I'm giving you one week to let me in. Don't be a fool or some martyr. Whatever secrets you're keeping, confess them sooner rather than later. It'll only make it easier for you."

Her gaze dropped from mine to the bedspread. She was done listening. Well, that was fine with me, I had nothing more to say. She had a week, and then my father would get her. If we had to kill her to break her, then we would.

Nodding, I left the room and told the guards to take #23552 back to her cell immediately. It was her move now. The ball was in her court. She could let me in, and die for the secrets she spilled, or die trying to protect them. Either way, it was lose-lose for her and win-win for us.

_Let's see what you're made of, #23552. _


End file.
